BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: T is for Television

DC -- Natl Museum of American History -- Exhibit: T is for Television:

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Description of Pictures: T is for Television
November 21, 2017 to July 4, 2018
From the earliest days of television to today, performers and producers have created beloved characters that teach children about getting along with others and understanding the world around them. This exhibition will feature treasured objects from The Mickey Mouse Club, Captain Kangaroo, Mister Rogers, Sesame Street, and Bill Nye the Science Guy, while exploring the history of making children’s television both educational and entertaining.

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SIAHTV_171130_001.JPG: T is for Television Children's television should be both educational and entertaining. Since Americans first brought televisions into their homes, performers and producers have created beloved characters that teach children about getting along with others and understanding the world. Adults increasingly voiced concerns about what children learn spending hours in front of TV screens and by the 1960s began to push for greater emphasis on education. Some of the most successful series, from the early days of television to today, have deftly combined lessons and laughter.
2. SIAHTV_171130_011.JPG: The Howdy Doody Show, 1947–1960 The freckle-faced cowboy Howdy Doody was one of American television's first stars -- quite an honor for a marionette! The creation of "Buffalo" Bob Smith, Howdy and his friends lived in the town of Doodyville and performed before a gallery of children. The show was merchandized with various toys, books, and games featuring its characters, which became a model for television shows that followed. Howdy Doody toy marionette Toy marionette, around 1950s This toy was one of hundreds of licensed Howdy Doody products produced during the show's run. Gift of Anne W. and John W. Rollins Jr.
3. SIAHTV_171130_014.JPG: The Mickey Mouse Club, 1955–1958 Walt Disney's first children's television program was a variety show for kids, featuring a cast of youngsters who sang, danced, and acted in skits alongside Mickey Mouse cartoons. The show aired to promote Disney merchandise and properties, including Disneyland, and was revived in the 1970s and 1990s. Mouseketeer hat, around 1950s Mouseketeer Lonnie Burr wore this hat as an original Mickey Mouse Club cast member from 1955 to 1958. Gift of Lonnie Burr
4. SIAHTV_171130_016.JPG: The Howdy Doody Show, 1947–1960 The freckle-faced cowboy Howdy Doody was one of American television's first stars -- quite an honor for a marionette! The creation of "Buffalo" Bob Smith, Howdy and his friends lived in the town of Doodyville and performed before a gallery of children. The show was merchandized with various toys, books, and games featuring its characters, which became a model for television shows that followed.
5. SIAHTV_171130_018.JPG: Howdy Doody TV game, around 1955 This Milton Bradley board game features characters Howdy, Clarabell the Clown, Dilly Dally, and Flub-a-Dub.
6. SIAHTV_171130_020.JPG: Howdy Doody merchandise catalog, 1955 "The super-popular salesman on strings . . . has become an American Institution," according to this catalog of merchandise featuring Howdy Doody.
7. SIAHTV_171130_027.JPG: Mousegetar, 1958 Mattel manufactured this toy version of the guitar Mickey Mouse Club host Jimmie Dodd played on the show. Gift of Brian M. Bailey
8. SIAHTV_171130_029.JPG: Howdy Doody's Lucky Trip, 1953 Inexpensive and popular Little Golden Books have entertained children since 1942. In this book, Howdy goes on vacation and catches robbers with his friends Dilly Dally and Flub-a-Dub.
9. SIAHTV_171130_030.JPG: Mickey Mouse Club lunch box, 1963 Due to audience demand, The Mickey Mouse Club aired in syndication through the 1960s and merchandise remained popular.
10. SIAHTV_171130_035.JPG: The Mickey Mouse Club, 1955–1958 Walt Disney's first children's television program was a variety show for kids, featuring a cast of youngsters who sang, danced, and acted in skits alongside Mickey Mouse cartoons. The show aired to promote Disney merchandise and properties, including Disneyland, and was revived in the 1970s and 1990s.
11. SIAHTV_171130_037.JPG: Television Succeeds and Sells In the 1950s performers adapted existing forms of children's entertainment to the new medium of television. Puppet shows, circus clown acts, and animated movies inspired popular programs and characters. Capitalizing on their success, early innovators created mountains of merchandise to market to children, sparking fears about television's impact on impressionable young minds.
12. SIAHTV_171130_039.JPG: Bozo the Clown, 1958–2001 Actor Larry Harmon made a children's album character a television star when he launched Bozo the Clown in Los Angeles in 1958. Harmon franchised the Bozo character for more than 150 local productions around the country; each city had a different actor portraying the clown. The final remaining Bozo show ended its run in Chicago in 2001. Clown costume, 1958 Larry Harmon wore this costume on his Los Angeles television show from 1958 to 1962. The shoes are size 18. Gift of Larry Harmon
13. SIAHTV_171130_042.JPG: Bozo the Clown, 1958–2001 Actor Larry Harmon made a children's album character a television star when he launched Bozo the Clown in Los Angeles in 1958. Harmon franchised the Bozo character for more than 150 local productions around the country; each city had a different actor portraying the clown. The final remaining Bozo show ended its run in Chicago in 2001.
14. SIAHTV_171130_047.JPG: Lunch box, 1963 Larry Harmon licensed the Bozo character for cartoons, television programs, and merchandise like this lunch box. Gift of Aladdin Industries (through Lillian B. Jenkins)
15. SIAHTV_171130_048.JPG: Clown costume, 1958 Larry Harmon wore this costume on his Los Angeles television show from 1958 to 1962. The shoes are size 18. Gift of Larry Harmon
16. SIAHTV_171130_050.JPG: Little Golden Book, 1971 Inexpensive and popular Little Golden Books have entertained children since 1942. This licensed Bozo book was first published in 1961. Gift of Western Publishing Company, Inc.
17. SIAHTV_171130_056.JPG: Television Must Teach By the late 1960s groups like ACT (Action for Children's Television) began to question television's impact on children. New programming, especially public television series like Sesame Street, pioneered new ways to entertain and educate youngsters. Following years of criticism and activism, in 1990 Congress passed the Children's Television Act, requiring television stations to air a number of hours of educational programming for children. New television programs taught life skills like inclusion and kindness, and some inspired kids to discover science and technology.
18. SIAHTV_171130_058.JPG: Lab coat and bow tie, around 1990s Bill Nye, a comedian and engineer, dressed the part of the laboratory scientist with his lab coat and signature bow ties. Gift of Bill Nye
19. SIAHTV_171130_061.JPG: Clifford the Big Red Dog, 2000–2003 Adapted from the popular series of children's books by Norman Bridwell, Clifford the Big Red Dog aired on PBS. Clifford is caring, helpful, and loyal to his owner, Emily Elizabeth, but he sometimes runs into trouble due to his large size. The program taught viewers how to deal with everyday problems and to build relationships.
20. SIAHTV_171130_063.JPG: Clifford Learning Activities CD-Rom, 2001 By the 2000s interactive media like this Clifford CD-Rom helped reinforce children's television's educational messages. Gift of Norma E. H. Bridwell
21. SIAHTV_171130_067.JPG: Way Cool Game O' Science, around 1990s By the 1990s children's television merchandise was more popular than ever, but many tie-ins, like this science game, were educational. Gift of Bill Nye
22. SIAHTV_171130_070.JPG: Bill Nye the Science Guy, 1993–1998 Engineer and comedian Bill Nye developed a fast-paced, humorous science education program for Seattle public television in 1993. Still struggling to meet the educational requirements of the 1990 Children's Television Act, networks picked up Bill Nye the Science Guy. The show won acclaim for its entertaining approach to science education.
23. SIAHTV_171130_071.JPG: Daytime Emmy Award, 1998 Bill Nye the Science Guy won nineteen Emmy Awards during its five-season run. Gift of Bill Nye
24. SIAHTV_171130_080.JPG: Oscar the Grouch puppet and trash can, around 1989 Despite his grouchiness, Oscar the Grouch demonstrates the values of inclusion and kindness. Gift of Muppets, Inc. (through David V. B. Britt and Children's Television Workshop)
25. SIAHTV_171130_084.JPG: Sesame Street, 1969–present Sesame Street premiered in 1969 and has won accolades for its innovative approach to educational television. The nonprofit Children's Television Workshop designed Sesame Street for underserved viewers who might not attend preschool. The show's diverse cast of live actors joined Muppets to teach the basics of reading, writing, math, and life skills.
26. SIAHTV_171130_090.JPG: Prairie Dawn puppet, around 1990s Prairie Dawn is a seven-year-old Muppet girl with big dreams. She learns about life while working on pageants and playing piano. Gift of the Family of Jim Henson: Lisa Henson, Cheryl Henson, Brian Henson, John Henson, and Heather Henson
27. SIAHTV_171130_092.JPG: A Place of Our Own cassette, 1984 From the show's miniature model of a town, made to resemble his hometown of Pittsburgh, to interviews with workers, Mister Rogers taught children about their neighborhoods. Gift of Fred Rogers
28. SIAHTV_171130_094.JPG: Sweater, around 1970s At the beginning of every episode, Mister Rogers would change into a knit cardigan sweater. Rogers' mother knit the sweaters. Gift of Fred Rogers
29. SIAHTV_171130_096.JPG: Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, 1966–2001 An early pioneer of educational public television, Fred Rogers used his honest, warm persona to teach children about themselves and their neighborhoods. Episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood featured visits to The Neighborhood of Make-Believe, where puppet characters like King Friday and Daniel Tiger faced everyday problems.
30. SIAHTV_171130_098.JPG: Somebody Come and Play record, 1974 Music has always been an important part of Sesame Street, and records like this one became best-sellers. Gift of Stacey Kluck
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2017 photos: Equipment this year: I continued to use my Fuji XS-1 cameras but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000. Trips this year: Civil War Trust conferences in Pensacola, FL, Chattanooga, TN (via sites in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee) and Fredericksburg, VA, a family reunion in The Dells, Wisconsin (via sites in Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin), New York City, and my 12th consecutive San Diego Comic Con trip (including sites in Arizona). For some reason, several of my photos have been published in physical books this year which is pretty cool. Ones that I know about: "Tarzan, Jungle King of Popular Culture" (David Lemmo), "The Great Crusade: A Guide to World War I American Expeditionary Forces Battlefields and Sites" (Stephen T. Powers and Kevin Dennehy), "The American Spirit" (David McCullough), "Civil War Battlefields: Walking the Trails of History" (David T. Gilbert), "The Year I Was Peter the Great: 1956 — Khrushchev, Stalin's Ghost, and a Young American in Russia" (Marvin Kalb), and "The Judge: 26 Machiavellian Lessons" (Ron Collins and David Skover). Number of photos taken this year: just below 560,000.
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